Oh man, have we got something good for the AZ installment of Eat It. This baby is a staple of Sonoran cuisine, it was voted Arizona State Dish of 1995, and it’s probably the best thing you can eat after you win Black Canyon this year. Can you guess what it is? Did you already read it in the title? That’s right, we’re talkin’ about Navajo Tacos.
These things are insanely delicious, but actually, they have a really heavy history. In the 1860s, the U.S. federal government forced the Navajo people of Arizona to migrate on foot to New Mexico in an ethnic cleansing scheme now known as the Long Walk of the Navajo. The U.S. Army marched 10,000 Navajos and 500 Mescalero Apache between 250 and 450 miles (depending on the route they took) to the Bosque Redondo internment camp in eastern New Mexico. More than 3,500 people died from starvation, exposure, and disease. Scant provisions were provided by the government, and the people cooked ‘fried bread’ made from flour, baking powder, salt, and lard. This fried bread is where Navajo Tacos originated, so when you make them, remember those people and salute the great Navajo Nation.
Now, last issue we went all hardcore vegan with Morrissey Jurek, but we’re gonna have meat this issue, goddamn it. All y’all hippies can suck a tofu.
Beef Filling Ingredients
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• ½ kilo of ground beef
• 1 can of refried beans
• 1 packet taco seasoning (or make some from scratch if you’re one of those people)
Fried Bread Ingredients
• 4 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cups water
• Cooking oil for frying
Other Stuff
• 250g of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 chopped or shredded lettuce
• 3 diced tomatoes
• 1 diced onion
• 1 sliced avocado
• 1 jar of really expensive salsa (or just get the cheap shit if you want to ruin everything)
• 1 cup of sour cream
The First Bit
First thing you wanna do is make that fried bread. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly introduce water to the mixture and knead into a dough with your clean and recently washed hands. Once the dough is thick (but not overly sticky), cover the bowl with a tea towel or vintage Testament t-shirt and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. (If you’re really making this now, skip to the beef bit while the dough rests.)
Heat about 2.54 cm (or an inch if you’re from the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar) of oil in a frying pan over high heat. Take up a handful of dough, flatten it into the shape of a medium-sized pancake, poke a few holes in the top to allow air to escape, and then throw that shit as hard as you can into the hot oil. Kidding. Gently, carefully place the flattened dough in the hot oil and cook until golden. Then flip that boy and cook until golden on the other side, too. Remove from the pan and drain any excess oil with a paper towel. Repeat the process until you’ve used up all the dough.
The Beef Bit
Splash some oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook until they look a bit cooked but not overly cooked. Soft, I guess. Add the ground beef and taco seasoning and stir occasionally until it’s cooked through. Then add those beans we mentioned. Mm-mm. Stir those suckers through. Now, don’t let too much moisture escape because you’ll end up with gross dried-out beef trash, and no one wants that in their house.
The Last Bit
Take a piece of fried bread, plop some beef and beans on top, then add cheese, tomato, avocado, salsa, sour cream—whatever you want on top of that. Then put it in your mouth. Begin masticating. Masticate. Masticate. Masticate. Swallow. Delicious!
